Elevator cars in most modern day elevator systems include operating panels therewithin providing command directions for the elevator car. The operating panels are designed to take directions from an occupant of the elevator to execute a desired task.
Elevator car operating panels typically have numerous buttons arranged in a grid pattern with rows and columns of buttons side-by-side and close together. These buttons designate floor numbers. Two additional buttons, a "door open" and a "door close" button, are usually situated in close proximity to each other and within the grid of floor number buttons. These "door open" and "door close" buttons are used to either open or close the elevator doors when the elevator is discharging or loading passengers at a floor landing and when automatic operation of the doors is adjudged insufficient by the occupant.
People often try to enter the elevator car from the landing as the doors of the elevator car are closing. In the event at least one other passenger is already inside the elevator car, such passenger may attempt to accommodate the people trying to enter by pressing the "door open" button to reverse the closing of the doors.
Sometimes, however, a hurried attempt to press the "door open" button results in the inadvertent pressing of the "door close" button or some other button. The elevator door then closes and the elevator begins its ascent or descent before the passenger pushing the button realizes that he pushed the wrong button instead of the "door open" button. The person who tried to enter the elevator is then left standing on the landing and must wait for the next elevator.
One prior art system uses complicated circuitry to open an elevator door while the elevator is discharging or loading passengers even if the "door close" button is pressed. This type of system adds electronic components such as limiting switches and microcomputers to other conventional elevator system equipment and only adds to the cost of the equipment and maintenance of the elevator system.
Furthermore, in the latter stated system, when the "door close" button is pressed by an elevator passenger who really wants the elevator doors to close because he is in a hurry, the elevator doors will open. In such an instance, the elevator passenger will most likely repeatedly press the "door close" button only to have the doors begin to close then reopen. This repeated pressing of the "door close" button and continuous opening of the doors only confuses and frustrates the elevator passenger.
Other prior art elevator systems eliminate the "door close" button altogether. The absence of this button only serves to infuriate the elevator passenger who is in a hurry to have the doors close so he can be under way. The elevator passenger in an elevator that has no "door close" button is left with the less satisfying option of repeatedly pressing his "floor designation" button.